Mother Earth’s sacred nature is a common thread through the spiritual beliefs of Native American tribes across the country. We saw reverence for the land unite diverse indigenous communities at the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and in the effort to preserve Bears Ears in Utah. We explore what it is that so deeply binds America’s original inhabitants to the land.

Guest: Farina King, PhD, Assistant Professor, History, Northeastern State University and member of the Navajo Nation

“Monuments of all sorts are a focal point for debate in America today: whether it’s Confederate War memorials, statues of conquering explorers like Columbus or natural landscapes like the Bears Ears National Monument President Trump recently scaled back significantly.

A monument is really about us saying ‘this is a place, a memory, a culture, a history we want to preserve.’ But given the diversity of views and complexity of America’s history, is it any wonder we’re having trouble agreeing on our monuments? Let’s have a look at this from the perspective of America’s indigenous communities.”

Indian Mascot Cases panel before showing of Kenn and John Little’s film “More Than a Word,” November 17, 2017, American Indian Heritage Month, Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma. See the full listing of NSU American Indian Heritage Month events on the Center for Tribal Studies website.

Gregorio Gonzales, Rayna Green, and Farina King at WHA 2017 Indian Scholars’ Luncheon

Roundtable: “State of the Department of Cherokee and Indigenous Studies,” 45th Annual Symposium on the American Indian, “Indian Givers: Indigenous Inspirations,” Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, April 2017.